Scanning Tunneling Microscopy:  A Unique Tool in the Study of Chirality, Dynamics, and Reactivity in Physisorbed Organic Monolayers

Abstract

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is applied to study organic monolayers, physisorbed at the liquid-graphite interface. Due to the very local nature of the probing, the structure of these adlayers has been imaged with very high detail. The high resolution allowed us to investigate the effect of molecular chirality on the monolayer formation and provided a unique way to study chemical reactions at the liquid-graphite interface. Making use of a fast scanning mode, dynamic processes in these adlayers have been visualized.